Disposable dispensing syringe vial

ABSTRACT

A disposable syringe vial is provided having closure means adapted to receive a syringe cannula in fluidtight engagement and to flex while in such engagement to selected positions for complete aspiration of liquid contents from the vial without operational loss of liquid.

inventors Appl. No.

Filed Patented Assignee ies iieini Paul A. Lucas Welbsler, N.Y.;

Ralph E. Molfin, Grosse Pointe Pal-la, Mich. 837,693

June 30, 1969 Sept. 7, 197 ll Parke, Davis & Company Detroit, Mich.

DISPOSABLE DISPENSING SYRINGE VIAL 4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 1128/272 int. Cl A61j 1/00 Field of Search [56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 3,330,282 7/1967 Visser et al. 128/272 3,392,726 7/1968 Pochyla et al. 128/272 Primary Examiner-Warner H. Camp Attorneys-Robert R. Adams, David B. E'hrlinger, George M.

Richards and Edward J. Gall ABSTRACT: A disposable syringe vial is provided having closure means adapted to receive a syringe cannula in fluidtight engagement and to flex while in such engagement to selected positions for complete aspiration of liquid contents from the vial without operational loss of liquid.

PATENTEDSEP mm 3502; 312

INVENTORS PAUL A. LUCAS BY RALPH E. MOTTIN AT TY.

DISPOSABLE DISPENSING SYRINGE VIAL SUMMARY AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION The invention relates to disposable syringe vials of an improved type for dispensing liquid medicaments, biologicals, and the like and more particularly to syringe-vial combinations providing separately compartmented contents for mixing immediately prior to use.

For the syringing of liquid medicaments and biologicals a wide variety of devices and apparatus is available. Prior to the present invention, however, the art has failed to supply simple, economical equipment having universal application adapted for a single one-time use employing recognized standard syringing techniques.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide syringe and vial dispensing means having general application.

It is also an object of the invention to provide improved syringe-vial equipment for packaging sensitive components in separate compartments prior to use and for convenient mixing just prior to dispensing using standard techniques.

It is a further object to provide economical means of the kind described which can be sterilized, are disposable and can be discarded following a single use.

These and further objects, advantages and purposes will be seen in relation to the following description and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a representation of a preferred embodiment of a dispensing vial according to the invention together with a preferred type of syringe for use in combination with the vial;

FIG. 2 is a view of the assembled syringe and vial of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the vial of the invention inverted in dispensing position with a syringe showing the manner of drainage of contents from the vial; and

FIG. 4 is a view in detail of the closure means for one type of syringe vial of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the syringe illustrated includes a conventional type of barrel having an open end bounded by a flange ll. Mounted in the barrel is a main piston 12 with sealing rings 12a connected with a stem 13 and head 14 for reciprocation in the barrel in conventional fashion. The syringe barrel has a shoulder 15 terminating in a neck 16 upon which is mounted a hub 17 having hub extension 18. The hub can have aperture means for venting pressure from the headspace between the inner piston and the hub when the outer piston is compressed inwardly. The term hub will, for convenience of definition, be used herein to include the hub itself and/or the hub extension 18. The hub serves as a mounting for a cannula 19 having an outer end 20a and an inner end 20b; the hub can be metal, glass, plastic or other suitable material. The barrel 10 also contains a floating piston 22 with sealing rings 22a. The barrel and the two pistons 12 and 22 enclose a fill zone 21 for a syringeable liquid.

For attachment to the syringe is vial 30 which in many respects is conventional having at least one low drain point, for example, the bottom of the vial in upright position or a shoulder 31 which provides a low drain point when the vial is inverted. The vial also has the neck 32 defining an opening with a peripheral flange 33. Mounted over the opening and seated upon the flange 33 is a closure 40 (FIG. 4) including diaphragm 411. If desired, to assist in locating the diaphragm with respect to the opening (for filling, drying, finishing, etc.), guide lugs 45, shown in broken outline in FIG. I, can be provided. The vial and closure are suitably maintained in sealed relation by means of the flange-anchored collar 34. Standing upward from the diaphragm 41, according to the invention, is coupling means 42 which includes recess socket means 43 defined by an axial opening 44a and lateral walls 44b term inating in a target zone or surface 441: on the upper surface of diaphragm ill (FIG. 4). The closure with the vial provides a fluidtight chamber 35 for a solute fill 36. The fill may be any suitable liquid or solid material intended for mixing with the syringeable liquid content in fill zone 21.

The socket means 43, according to the invention, has a configuration which matches the hub extension 18 of the syringe. The closure including the diaphragm, coupling and socket means conveniently is fabricated or molded in a single piece. The coupling is a resilient elastomeric material such as rubber, preferably of surgical grade. The coupling is sufficiently resilient and pliable to be manipulated or bent with its outer end off-line from the central axis of the vial (as in FIG. 3) without losing fluidtight contact with the hub extension 18. In a preferred form the recess socket means 43 is cylindrical measuring about one-eighth of an inch in diameter by onefourth inch in length. The extension 18 has the same length but desirably has lateral dimensions larger than that of the socket so that the extension fits snugly and provides a fluidtight fit not only for storage for indefinite periods but also for dispensing purposes. The recess and the hub extension can have any of a variety of other matching configurations consistent with the requirement for leakproof engagement and are not necessarily limited to cylindrical shapes.

The vial of the invention is preferably used with a syringe of the type having a fill zone separated from the vial chamber by barrier means. One such syringe, illustrated in the drawing, has the fill zone between two moveable pistons. The invention also contemplates any of a wide variety of other compartmented syringe fill zone structures and barriers: for example, a sheathed cannula and a barrel (U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,330,281 and 3,308,821), and insertable cartridge rupturable when inserted upon a cannula point (U.S. Pat. No. 3,378,008), a fill zone between inner and outer plungers operated by advancing the inner plunger to a suitable bypass (U.S. Pat. No. 3,330,282), or a displaceable ball valve seal mounted in the hub, the ball seal being displaced from sealing engagement by abrupt inward movement of an outer piston. All of such syringe structures utilize the principle of a barrier means preventing the dispensing of the syringe contents through the bore of the cannula. For purposes of definition herein the term barrier means" is meant to include all such barrier structures and equivalent structures. The barrier means of FIG. I is provided by the arrangement wherein the inner end 20b of the cannula is blocked or imbedded in floating piston 22 so that the cannula end 20b stops just short of the interface 22b with the fill zone 21. In other words, the barrier in this case is the thickness of the piston preventing open communication between the cannula bore and the fill zone 21.

OPERATION For operation of the syringe and vial according to the invention the outer end 20a of the syringe is inserted through the diaphragm of the vial 30 by way of the recess 44a and the target zone 440. The cannula is inserted within the chamber to the point where the hub extension 18 is completely received within the closure recess 44a and is engaged laterally along the full height of the recess walls 44b. The plunger or piston 12 is then advanced inwardly by a suitable pressure on the head 14 and stem 13 to cause the liquid content of the fill zone 2I to transmit the pressure through to the floating piston 22 and in turn to cause the same to advance inwardly to the position illustrated in FIG. 2 where the inner end 20b of the cannula pierces through the floating piston 22 just exposing the cannula end 20b with the result that the liquid of the fill zone is free to pass through the cannula bore downward into the chamber 35 of the vial. In this way the pressure generated in the barrel is relieved so that the main piston 12 can continue its travel to the point where it substantially contacts the interface 22b causing the contents of the syringe to be completely expelled from the fill zone. The inner piston 22 remains in the position illustrated in FIG. 2 since there is no further pressure causing it to move farther inward in the barrel.

The contents of the vial, that is, the solute fill of the vial as well as liquid from the barrel, are next mixed by shaking in the conventional way until the same are completely dissolved. The vial is then inverted and the liquid contents withdrawn or aspirated to the point where all but the last several drops of liquid are removed from the vial. By holding the syringe and vial in the position shown in H0. 3 while maintaining the liquidtight contact between the syringe and the socket means of the closure, the last few drops of the liquid in the vial are caused to flow by gravity to the shoulder 31 and are from that point aspirated through the cannula tip. The contents of the syringe and vial can thus be completely mixed and transferred to the syringe barrel. The vial is removed and discarded and the solution is then dispensed or injected in the conventional way.

The structure of the invention is economical since the components are standard and readily available. The pistons and closure are conveniently made of rubber or similar material. The barrel, stem and vial are plastic or glass. The hub, cannula and collar are preferably metallic. The syringe and vial can be supplied in prefilled, sterilized, assembled form as a packaged unit with the hub extension already engaged in the closure socket so that the assembly and especially the outer end of the cannula and the associated shank and hub are completely protected against unwanted environmental exposure prior to use of the syringe. The structure is particularly well-suited for packaging sensitive liquids. Thus, for use with a liquid which is incompatible with metal when maintained over long periods of time the same can be handled conveniently in the syringe barrel of the present invention without contacting metal. Such a liquid can also be kept in the vial chamber but in this case measures should be taken to prevent liquid contact with the outer end of the cannula. Since the entire unit is low in cost, the same is disposable following use.

While the foregoing invention in dispensing vial has been described in considerable detail in the foregoing description, it will be realized by those skilled in the art that the same detail can be varied widely, all in accordance with the spirit of the invention, without departing from the scope of the claims which follow.

We claim:

I. In combination, a cylindrical syringe vial having a shoulder drain point and a neck with a flanged axial opening, a flange-mounted diaphragm sealing the opening and defining with the vial a vial chamber characterized by an open, unobstructed neck portion, the diaphragm having an exterior target surface pierceable for access into the vial chamber by a hubmounted cannula having a shank sufficiently long to reach the drain point, the diaphragm including resilient elastomeric coupling means surrounding and extending outwardly from the target surface to define coaxial socket means located outside of the opening and being adapted to receive a syringe hub extension in matching fluidtight engagement, the coupling means and diaphragm preventing entry of the syringe hub into the neck portion and being sufficiently resilient to bend controllably while maintaining said fluidtight engagement to a position such that the outer end of the coupling means is substantially off-line from the central axis of the vial and the end of the cannula shank is engageable with the drain point whereby a syringe so received can be manipulated for offcenter aspiration and liquid content introduced into the vial can be aspirated from the vial without operational loss when the vial is positioned for drainage upon its drain point.

2. The combination of claim 1 including a syringe barrel having a fill zone adapted to contain syringeable liquid, a hub for the barrel in matching engagement with the socket means ofthe vial coupling means, a cannula mounted on the hub, and barrier means separating the vial chamber and fill zone.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the cannula has an inner end extending axially within the barrel and the barrier means is a piston axially slideable within the barrel and contacting the inner cannula end.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the socket means is cylindrical in configuration. 

1. In combination, a cylindrical syringe vial having a shoulder drain point and a neck with a flanged axial opening, a flangemounted diaphragm sealing the opening and defining with the vial a vial chamber characterized by an open, unobstructed neck portion, the diaphragm having an exterior target surface pierceable for access into the vial chamber by a hub-mounted cannula having a shank sufficiently long to reach the drain point, the diaphragm including resilient elastomeric coupling means surrounding and extending outwardly from the target surface to define coaxial socket means located outside of the opening and being adapted to receive a syringe hub extension in matching fluidtight engagement, the coupling means and diaphragm preventing entry of the syringe hub into the neck portion and being sufficiently resilient to bend controllably while maintaining said fluidtight engagement to a position such that the outer end of the coupling means is substantially off-line from the central axis of the vial and the end of the cannula shank is engageable with the drain point whereby a syringe so received can be manipulated for offcenter aspiration and liquid content introduced into the vial can be aspirated from the vial without operational loss when the vial is positioned for drainage upon its drain point.
 2. The combination of claim 1 including a syringe barrel having a fill zone adapted to contain syringeable liquid, a hub for the barrel in matching engagement with the socket means of the vial coupling means, a cannula mounted on the hub, and barrier means separating the vial chamber and fill zone.
 3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the cannula has an inner end extending axially within the barrel and the barrier means is a piston axially slideable within the barrel and contacting the inner cannula end.
 4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the socket means is cylindrical in configuration. 